Windstream - 1792 Exchange

Corporate Bias Rating

Expand Summary

Risk Level:

Medium Risk

Summary:

Windstream is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Windstream occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

View Full Corporate Bias Ratings Report

Criteria

Risk Level

Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level

Rationale

Windstream received a score of 40 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). However, Windstream has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level

Rationale

Windstream does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level

Rationale

The company operates a Black Business Support Fund, and only businesses that are black-owned are qualified to receive corporate funds under this program (1). Windstream does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level

Rationale

Windstream supports DEI within its business practices, hosting a DEI Council. The company “promot[es] ‘Why I’m an Ally’ and ‘Why I Feel Included’ video series” (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Windstream using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (2).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level

Rationale

Windstream’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Windstream using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (3).

Criteria

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level

Rationale

Windstream has not used its PAC donations or lobbying for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).

Board Bias

Expand Summary

1792 Exchange has not yet compiled data about the board of directors or political contributions of leadership for this company.